Trash picker



W. KOEPKE TRASH PICKER March 1, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 3, 1945 INVENTOR. [fla /6 Wal Patented Mar. 1, 1949 UNITED harem F FICE TRASH PICKER walter Koepke, Baytown,"lex.

Application May 3, 1945, Serial No. 591,654

S'CIaims. 11

.This inventionrelates to .a ltra'shpicker and it is an object of the invention to provide an impliment of this kind whichcan .be employed for immediately "picking ..up trash. and wherein the construction is suchas to. render .thesame particularly advantageous for .domestic use.

:It is also an object of theminvention to provide :animplementof this kind which can be :conveniently employed as a vtonglfor picking up oysters out of theiwater and for otherikindred uses.

The.tinventionaconsists.in the details of conr-struction and y in. the a combination and arrangement of the several-parts of my improved trash pick-er whereby certain importantladvantagesare attained, as wwillbe hereinafter more .fully set .iorth.

Inorder .thatmy. invention maybe the better understood, I willnowproceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawh.ings,.-wherein:

Figure 1 is aview .inztop; planof i an implement constructed in accordance with .an embodiment oftt'he invention.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the im plement as illustrated inFigure 1;

.Figure 3 islan enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

and

Figure 5.4. is an enlarged. detailsectional view takensubstantially on the line 45 of Figure 1.

in ,the embodiment of the inventionas illusi-trated inthe accompanying drawings! Jdenotes tan elongated tubular'handle member Ofidesired dimensions and which is provided in its forward portion with the substantially diametricallyopposed slots 2 directed lengthwise of the handle member I.

Extending into the tubular handle member I through the rear end thereof are the elongated flexible rods 3. The inner portions of these rods 3 freely pass out through the slots 2 of the handle member I. The outer extremities of the rods 3 are rigidly secured to the inner portion of an elongated hand grasp l whereby the desired endwise movement may be imparted to the flexible rods 3 which possess sufficient rigidity to efiect the desired opening or closing of the jaw members A and B.

The jaw members A and B include respectively the elongated rectangular skeleton arms 5 and E which are inwardly and rearwardly disposed on a desired angle, with said arms 5 and 6 in crossed relation. The forward portion of the handle member I is freely disposed through these arms 5 and 5 and one of the arms, as 5, is also freely disposed through the. arm 5.

As isclearly illustrated in Figure 1 of the.drawings, the arm 5 is of .a width less than that of the arm El and alsoof aless' length. The armsQE and however, are of such lengths to permit the-desired swinging or rocking movement of the jaw .members A and Blwithout interference being or- .fered by the handle. member l which is directed through said arms '5. and 6. The armsliand 5, as is clearly illustrated in the accompanying. drawings, are each provided at its outer or.lfree end with a .crossebarl l-witlrwhichis operatively engaged the inner end portion of .a rod 3.

Each ofthe jawmembersA and B, as herein disclosed, comprises a skeleton headtl substantially V-chaped in. form with. its apex inwardly disposed and with the arm 5 ort at said apex portion of the head. The outer or wider portion of the head 8 of each of the jaw members A and B is provided. at spaced points therealong with the outwardly directed tines 5 of desired form and so designed as to allow the tines of both of the jaw ,members A and B to eiTectively pick up trash or yl has rigidly secured thereto the diametrically opposed elongated lug members It, herein disclosed ,as cylindrical in form, and "which have their axes extended lengthwise of the handle member I. Theselugmembers It are in ad- .vanceof the slots'2 and, inthe present-embodimentor the invention, the head .8 of thejaw member B is outwardly of one of these lug-members It! and the inner portions a of the side members of the arm 6 are provided therealong with inwardly disposed plates II which overlie the opposite side faces of the adjacent or coacting lug member It) at opposite sides thereof and with the central portions of these plates ll pivotally held to said lug member I0 by a pivot member I2 herein disclosed as a conventional type of headed bolt and a coacting retaining nut i4. As is clearly illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings, there is interposed between the plates I l and the adjacent lug member In the spacing blocks 15 herein disclosed as bushings surrounding the pivot member l2.

The forward portions 2) of the side members of the arm 5 of the jaw member A are provided with the outwardly disposed plates 16 extending lengthwise of said side members and which overlie the opposite sides of the second lug member ID. The central portions of these plates 16 are pivotally held to the second lug member by the pintle member l1, also herein disclosed as a headed bolt, and a coacting holding nut 18.

It is to be pointed out that the plates H and I6, together with the lug members l0, provide a simple yet effective means whereby the jaw members A and B may be maintained in assembly to effect the desired movement of said jaw members one toward the other upon requisite endwise movement being imposed upon the rods 3. Upon pull upon the rods 3, the jaw members A and B will be moved one toward the other to pick up and hold trash or the like while push upon said rods 3 will effect the desired opening movement of the jaw members A and B.

The rods 3 are maintained in desired position upon the cross-bar I by the conventional spacer sleeves l9, as is clearly illustrated in the drawmgs.

While the form of the jaw members A and B as illustrated in the drawings has proven of particular advantage, yet it is not desired that the invention be limited in this respect.

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that a trash picker constructed in accordance with my invention is particularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated.

I claim:

1. An implement of the class described comprising an elongated handle member, jaw members having rearwardly directed arms in the form of rectangular frames, the rearward extremities of said arms being inwardly and rearwardly inclined with one arm extending through the other, means pivotally connecting said arms forwardly of the inclined extremities to the handle member for oscillation on separate spaced parallel axes lying at opposite sides of the handle, and means carried by the handle member and operatively engaged with the arms for swinging the jaw members one with respect to the other.

2. An implement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for pivotally mounting the jaw members to the handle member includes lug members carried by the handle member and substantially diametrically opposed, plates carried by the side members of the arms of the jaw members overlying the said lug members, and means for pivotally connecting said plates to the lug members.

3. An implement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the handle member is tubular and provided with substantially diametrically opposed slots directed lengthwise thereof and wherein the means for moving the jaw members one with respect to the other comprises resilient rods extending within the handle member, with end portions extending out through the slots, and means for operatively connecting said extended portions to the arms of the jaw members.

4. An implement of the character described, comprising a relatively long handle bar, a pair of jaw members, a pair of pivots carried by the bar at one end, the pivots being transversely of the bar and disposed upon opposite sides thereof, each jaw being mounted for swinging on one pivot, an arm carried by each jaw and extending obliquely across the handle bar behind the pivots and in crossed relation with the other arm, and a pair of relatively long flexible members supported by and extending longitudinally of the handle for movement longitudinally thereof and each curving outwardly therefrom at the said one end of the handle and having pivotal connection with the outer end of an arm.

5. A hand implement of the character described, comprising a relatively long tubular handle bar having opposite slots adjacent to one end, a pair of jaw members, a pair of pivot elements supported transversely of the handle adjacent to and between the said one end and the slot, said pivot elements being disposed at opposite sides of the handle, each jaw being supported upon a pivot element for oscillation on an axis extending transversely of the handle bar, an arm carried by each jaw and extending obliquely rearwardly across the handle bar between the pivot elements and the slot, said arms being in crossed relation, a pair of flexible rods extending longitudinally through the handle bar and each having a curved end extending through a slot, the curved end of each rod being pivotally coupled with an end of an arm, and means connected with the rods for facilitating longitudinal movement of the rods in the handle bar.

WALTER KOEPKE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 296,550 Foster Apr. 8, 1884 786,663 McCoy Apr. 4, 1905 961,761 Erickson June 21, 1910 2,230,498 Loos et al Feb. 4, 1941 

